Automatic coupling for cars and carriages.



i L. BOIRAULT. 'AUTOMATIC GOUPLING FOR GARS AND GARRIAGES. PPLIUATION FILED FEB. 7. l906.

'Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

narran srnrns garant oratori.

LOUIS- BOIRAUL'I, 0F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE SOCIETE lDET'U'DES DES BREVETS BOIRAULT, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

Application led February fi, 1906. SerialNo. 299,902.

' at 8 Rue Emile Gilbert, Paris, in the Republic of France, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Cars and Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements i-n automatic couplingsI for cars, particularly oi' the kind made known by my prior American Patent No. 689,058, granted December 17, 1908.A In the said couplings, each drawhead is provided with horns adapted to engage in openings of another head, with openings adapted toreceive the horns` of the other head,transversal bolts adapted to lock the, said horns in the opening, and means for moving the said bolts. To cause the horns to enter the opposite or facing openings, on the two cars being brought together, it is necessary, to provide the heads with guiding devices having )lanes properly inclined for correcting the lateral and vertical deflections of the heads. In the coupling referred to previously, such guiding devices consisted of a funnel added or attached to the side facing the head.

Such devices were cumbersome and wanting in solidity.

The present invention has for its object to construct a coupling head of the hereinbefore specified4 type oitl such a special shape that the dimensions of the head including its guiding surfaces can be considerably reducedand that the solidity of the said parts can be considerably increased.-

According to this invention, lthe front face of the head forms two tunnels converging respectively to the two openings for horns arranged diagonally; the inner sides of the said tunnels connect directly with the horns arranged diagonally in the other direction, and the outer sides of the tunnels are constituted by Wings which .are integral With the head of the coupling. The said integral wings and head strengthens each other by reason of their integrality;

furthermore, the employment of the guiding members other than thehorns is avoided; lastly, the total-width of the apparatus can be much less thaninthe coupling apparatus hereinbefore referred to for asarne eflection of the coupling heads as provided One embodiment of this invention is shown, `byway of example, in the'accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 14 is a side elevation cfa coupling head. Fig. 2 is a plan of thesame. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, the lever 10, and pawl 11 not being shown. Figs. 4, 5 and G are horizontalsections on lines A-A, B--B and C-C respectively of Fig.

The coupling head 5 comprises in a Well known manner bolts G, horns 7 pierced with openings to receive the bolts of another coupling, openings 9 to receive the horns of the said other couplingg, the said horns '7 and openings 9 being arranged as a diagonal cross',alever 10 swinging aroundatrunnion on the center of thehead 5 and connectedwith the bolts G by trunnions-101, a catch-lever 11 adapted to retain the locking-bolt lever 10 inthe position corresponding to theopening of the bolts. The trunnions 101 pass through the castings 102in the rear face of the coupling head and are engaged in slots in the bolts. The trun-- nions 13 are formed on the sides ot the couinclined plane 50 to the inner vertical edge of the openings 9, located at the same level; inclined lugs 51 and 52 extend forward and outward from the horizontal and vertical outer edges of the openings 9, and another inclined plane 53 connects the inner horizontal face of each horn to the inner horizontal edge of opening located in the same vertical line; the inclined 'parts 50, 51, 52, 53 thus form around each opening 9 a tunnel arrangedto engage with the corresponding horn of a similar coupling device placed opposite.

In order to allow of the device being coupled with cars provided with the system of coupling having a vertical pin passing through an eyelet in the end of the pull bar,

and a vertical hole 56 'is made in the plate in front of the bolts .to receive the vertical pin which serves to .secure ,the said bar (neither the 'bar nor the pin being shown).

I claim- In a coupling apparatus for cars, a conpling head having horns and openings arranged cross-Wise, the edges of the said openings extending obliqucl)y forward and forming, onthe inner sides, inclined planes Which extend to the bases of the horns, and on the outer sides, projecting lugs, the said lugs and inclined planes being adapted to guide the horns lof another coupling appw l ratusv up to and into the openings of the said coupling head, substantially as de-V scribed.

LOUIS BIRAULT.

Witnesses:

HANSON. C. Coxn, MAURICE ROUX. 

